


Popularity Contest

by Creed Cascade (creedcascade)



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-20
Updated: 2011-11-20
Packaged: 2017-10-26 07:31:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/280407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creedcascade/pseuds/Creed%20Cascade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mal doesn’t like coming in second.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Popularity Contest

**Author's Note:**

> Post Serenity.

River was hanging upside down from one of the rafters in the cargo bay. Mal didn’t think anything of it except that it was good she was wearing one of Kaylee’s overalls and not her normal flouncey dresses. That way he wouldn’t have to throw Jayne out the air lock again for perving all over his Albatross.

“If you fall, I’m not cleaning up the blood.”

“Won’t fall.” River said, swinging back and forth. “Already fallen.”

Ever since Miranda River had been less tormented, but no less strange. “Just don’t dent my floor.” He stomped his booted foot on the floor.

“You’re looking for Simon.”

Mal scowled at her. “I know exactly where he is. He’s in the med bay pouring over the Cortex.”

River smiled and scratched her nose. “I hacked into the Medcad Cortex. All secure. Looped and relooped the hack. Doubled back, snuck in through the front door. Pitter patter.”

“Uh huh. Think you could do that with a bank?”

“Maybe.”

He would have to follow up on that when she wasn’t playing monkey. “Uh huh.”

“You’re looking for Simon even though he’s here. You’re green under all that brown.”

“He’s been reading straight for hours. Damn boy’s as bad as you are,” Mal grumbled. “Not that I care.”

“He was top three percent of his class.”

“He told us that.”

River’s long hair dragged along the floor, back and forth. “Could’ve been top of his class, but wanted to learn everything. Specialist in everything. Out here in the black, he feels dim. Disconnected.”

Mal thought of the Doc as he had first come. Proud, arrogant and aggravating as hell. He had grown, but none of those characteristics were gone. It was everything that kept Mal interested. “He’s vain.”

“Worried,” River corrected. River stretched out her arms and wiggled her fingers. “Reading up on shot gun wounds. Dim… dim, dim. His brain went on hiatus.”

Mal couldn’t help but smirk. “I wouldn’t tell him that.”

River dropped down and spun quickly in the air, landing on her feet. “You should tell him that.” When she looked at him, Mal saw the woman she was growing to be. She was having one of her more lucid moments now as she stood to her full height. “He’s been sad since he failed with Kaylee.” She reached out and touched Mal’s suspender. Her fingers sneaked underneath and she pulled it back, letting it snap against his chest. “Thinks he failed at that. Failed at being a doctor, son and brother. Worried that he’ll fail with you.” She locked her gaze with Mal’s. “He’s loosing himself in his brain. His medicine. It’s his comfortable place.”

This thing between him and Simon was still relatively new. Kaylee and Inara were still on board Serenity. They were still family. It was complicated. It was why Mal hated complications and yet always seemed to be wrapped in a mess of them.

“Now, girl. This isn’t any of your business…”

River laid her palm flat on Mal’s chest, right over his heart. “My brother. My blood.”

Mal sighed. There was nothing easy or simple about either Tam. It would have been simpler if the boy could have worked it out with Kaylee. But life or love wasn’t painless. If it was, he would have been able to resist that torn up young man who came to him. The boy was everything that Inara was and wasn’t at the same time. And maybe that was why he was able to love him, even though he didn’t want to.

Mal still hadn’t spoken out loud, but River was smiling. Now she was turning in tight circles, circling Mal at the same time. “Ride of your life, Captain. No reins.”

“We need to get in the air again to give you somethin’ to do…”

Mal shook his head and felt twitchy watching her. He was already planning ways he could draw Simon out of that confounded head of his. And there were exactly two things they did dead on. Fight and fuck. It wasn’t much to build a relationship on, but it was more than he had with anyone else.

++++++

"Simon..."

Simon didn't turn to look at Mal. He continued cataloguing the new medicine and his lips murmured as he read over the ingredients list. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up and the top button of his shirt undone.

Mal moved closer, careful not to tip over any of the sterile trays laden with Simon's carefully laid out medical instruments. He stood behind Simon who was crunching on the floor in front of the container. Mal reached out and squeezed Simon's shoulder.

"Simon..."

Simon shrugged away from Mal's grasp. "Not now, Captain."

Mal's hand shot out to grasp Simon painfully by the back of the neck. "Boy, are you brushing me off for pill bottles?"

Simon glared up at Mal, the bottle cradled safely in his hand. "This medicine that you stole..."

Better than flowers for his prissy Doctor. "Liberated..."

"Stole," Simon insisted. "Is cutting edge. The ingredients..."

Mal's grip lightened, but he didn't let go. "Will it help?"

"Maybe..." His eyes slipping back to the temptation of the ingredients list. "It might help her sleep. You can still sell most of this shipment for a tidy profit."

Mal didn't like that Simon's attention was being drawn away from him. He had been expecting at least a thank you. Instead the doctor had fallen upon the shipment of medicine like a kid in a candy store. Mal had learned there were two things he could never compete with when it came to Simon. River and doctoring. This time he figured he was a goner because this involved both.

"I figure a gorram thank you is in order."

Simon's glare darkened. "I'm not sucking you off here. Not now."

Mal laughed and pulled Simon off balance, hauling him up. "What did I tell you about..."

Simon cut him off. "Your ship?"

"Yeah," Mal said and pulled Simon close to him. He wrapped his arms around Simon's waist. "My ship. And I could have you right here... right now if I wanted." He didn't miss the way Simon's breath caught. "But right now, I'm thinkin' I'll be noble and settle for a kiss."

Mal moved in, smashing his mouth against Simon's mouth. He wasn't gentle. His tongue demanded entry and one hand came down to massage Simon's groin. He got them both worked up and when Simon had melted against him with a sigh, Mal smacked his ass and pushed him away.

Simon lost his balance and stumbled onto the floor. "Mal?"

Mal adjusted his long brown coat. "Figurin' you'd be wantin’ to get back to your pill bottles. I don't play popularity games with inanimate objects, Doc."

With that he left the infirmary knowing he'd be in for one hell of a fight later with Simon. He smiled to himself and started to whistle as he took the stairs two at a time.

Yeah, it would be one hell of a fight after all that baiting, but damn the sex was worth it. And it wouldn’t hurt that Mal would be centre of Simon’s attention either.

END.


End file.
